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Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Video Game Characters That Would Do Well In The NFL: Offense

With my Bengals being eliminated last week, and me being distraught that football is done for me for another year (though I'll still watch all the playoff games, Pro-Bowl, and of course, the Super Bowl), I decided to finish off the top 10: NFL series. WIth the first round completed, the second round should provide excellent football on the offensive side (as New Orleans showed clearly yesterday). Offensive players are a lot more athletic (usually), and are a ways different from defensive players, as this top 10 will no doubt reflect. For offensive players, while height makes a big difference in positions such as the line and receivers, weight is not as important as it is for the defense, as the D has to tackle a lot more often than offensive players. These characters would flourish in an NFL offense, due to their many skills and quirks. Since I can only put 10 players, I will eliminate an offensive guard, an offensive tackle, and I will add a kicker.

Ryo as a kicker? It could work. The NFL kicker needs to be a much more precise, and on-target kicker, than an NFL punter, and with Ryo's extensive training of martial arts, he knows how to kick, kick well, and kick with precision. Standing at 5'9, 143 pounds, his diminutive size is comparable to former kicker Martin Gramatica, who was hugely successful (at a time) despite his small frame. Another commonality that Ryo shares with Gramatica is that they are both foreign, and those who watch the NFL know exactly how successful foreign kickers are (this is not a knock on North American kickers, its simply a fact that foreign kickers do well in the NFL). Having been taught certain kicks by martial arts masters, Ryo has had to refine his kicking style. This is the exact mentality a kicker needs, exactly why Ryo would make a great NFL kicker.

Standing at 6'4, 340 pounds, Gunrock is the perfect size for an NFL offensive tackle (this is the EXACT size of Bengals right tackle, Andre Smith). Offensive tackles main job is to protect the Quarterback from pass rushers, and to also seal off any defenders outside the middle of the field on a running play. A miner from the town of Dawnvolta, Gunrock is used to harsh environments, a positive for him to step onto an NFL field, and being a miner means you will develop (if you do not already have) big, strong hands, which Gunrock has in spades. What's more important for an offensive tackle than hand placement though, is footwork and agility, two more skills Gunrock is adept in. He's not super quick, however he has above average agility, he can move around with ease, and he can even jump well if necessary. Most importantly though, Gunrock is just huge, MASSIVE in width, and not too many defenders are going to get by him, or outmuscle him with that size.

Another big man for the offensive line, Astaroth would be a welcome addition to an NFL offense as an offensive guard. Where tackles usually have to protect the Quarterback from pass rushers, guards main job is to open up holes up front for running backs to power their way up the middle. To do this, you need incredible strength, and you have to be great with your hands, two skills Astaroth is adept in. If necessary as well, Astaroth (I'd think anyway) could also play tackle, as he was created to be a bodyguard, thus he knows a thing or two about protecting people. Couple his skills with his massive size, and you have a recipe for success; being 6'8 and 287 pounds does not hurt at all.

Gan is a Sumo wrestler that would be perfect as an NFL Center. Centers have the tough task of snapping (transferring) the football to the Quarterback, and then instantly stand up, and block defenders as a guard or tackle would. With many of the biggest players in the league playing up the middle at defensive tackle, a center has to be super strong, as he has to hold off those giant defenders. Not only is Gan super strong, and the right size for a center (6'6, and a bit underweight at 263 pounds), even one of his burning vigours (special attacks) begins with him in a football crouch, with one hand on the ground, and he then proceeds to charge forward, and knock the enemy backwards. Not only is this effective, it is also the exact sequence that a center usually goes through on a running play; crouch, snap, then charge forward. With these skills, Gan's transition to the NFL would be an easy one.

Tight End is a, "different," position, in that it requires someone who can block, and who can catch passes (though the current trend is that of the pass catching tight end). Armor King is anatomically perfect for the position, at 6'4, 257 pounds, and he would be a great blocker, as his wrestling background would give him a leg up on footwork and hand position over other players. His pass catching on the other hand may be suspect, as we have never seen Armor King catch a football. I would not put it past him though, as Armor King (appears to) has big hands, and is a fairly fast runner, thus he would be a great target over the middle. Tight end is a difficult position, and Armor King would pick it up just fine.

At 6'2, 182 pounds, Axel Stone makes for the perfect Wide Receiver, specifically, a possession receiver, or, "slot back." A possesion receiver's role is still to catch a ball like all wide receivers, however they are usually a tougher, more solid receiver that can run across the middle of the field and take big hits. They also usually have great hands, and can hold on to the ball at all times, no matter how hard they are hit. Axel is tough as nails, and though he is slightly undersized, if you know how strong (and jacked) he is, the extra weight would not make a difference (it may even hamper him). Being 6'2 also helps, as Axel is taller than the majority of defensive backs, and that would give him a fairly significant advantage over most of the defensive backs. All in all, Axel would be a good possession receiver.

Obscure character choice I know, however Ricky would be an awesome choice for an NFL Wide Receiver, specifically, a deep threat receiver. Deep threat receivers (or, "Wide-outs)," are the traditional receivers; they usually line up wide from the ball, and they run deep, intricate routes. While his height and weight are unknown, I'd estimate that he is around 6'3, and just under 200 pounds or so; he's tall, solid, VERY fast, and can jump VERY high. His main attribute though, is his catching ability; he catches EVERYTHING that is thrown to him, and in the games, he has the highest catching rating as well. With the current trend of long, shaggy hair that NFL players have (be it dreadlocks, or the Samoan hairstyles), Ricky would fit right in, as his wild, bushy red hair is visible wherever he goes.

My favourite Virtua Fighter character makes the list as a Fullback. Throughout NFL history, the fullback position has been occupied by bigger running backs, who can get the little yardage you need for the first down, and they usually had sure hands, and they were reliable in the passing game. In the past 10 years or so, that type of fullback has disappeared, and a new breed of fullback has taken over; the blocking fullback. The blocking fullback usually has the hands of the traditional fullback, however in terms of running the ball, they are not as effective. Wolf could fall in either category, as he is a big (6'0, 222 pounds), tough, fast guy, and again, the wrestling background comes into play; hands hands and more hands; Wolf would never drop passes thrown his way, and in the blocking game, he would create holes for the halfback ad nauseum.

Cody makes another of my lists as a Halfback (or as they are usually referred to nowadays, the running back). Halfbacks are the main running back on their team that carries the ball the most of any player, and that gains the most yards from scrimmage (usually). Cody does not have a football background, however, running back is considered to be one of the easiest positions to learn and excel (I tend to agree; compare the amount of NFL ready running backs out of college to the amount of NFL ready wide receivers, or quarterbacks; there are A LOT more running backs than the other two positions), and as a result, Cody could step in and do just fine. He has the height (6'0), he has the weight (189 pounds), and he is tough as nails.

I know, I know, ANOTHER Power Stone Character? Hear me out though; Galuda would make a great Quarterback. The quarterback, as nearly everyone knows, is the premier position in the NFL; he's your signal caller, your leader, your spirit and more. Galuda's got the height at 6'6, he's got the weight at 242, he's got the poise and prescence that a quarterback needs, and him being a Shaman would do nothing but help in the spirit department. Galuda's greatest asset though? His cannon of an arm. Be it a leg trab, a bomb, a grenade, you name it, Galuda can heave it, and heave it well. Another thing; he's a native American, and many of us know how tough native Americans can be!

This was the most difficult list I had to compile thus far; it is harder than you think to find videogame characters that fit the mould of a Tight End, and it was even harder to find one that would fit in as a Quarterback, I tried to avoid using characters from the same games, however as you can see, it was difficult! With that though, the mini-series of NFL top 10 lists comes to a close. I had a lot of fun selecting, and evaluating these characters to see if they would fit in, in an NFL team. Many may disagree with my list, however these characters, if real, would be believable on a football field, no doubt about it. As I watch the Chargers and Jets, I can find many instances where these characters would do better than NFL players, however, since they do not exist we will never know!